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10.24.2012

Vietnam Restaurant

Wedged between the bars of North Beach and the drinking area of Polk, Chinatown provides a couple of late night eating options so you don't have to travel all the way to the Mission. Vietnam Restaurant is small hole in the wall that looks dangerously dingy during the day, but during the late night seems like an adventurous eating option, especially since its open till 3a. If you aren't feening for some Asian food, you can visit Sam's (see post HERE) for similar opening hours.

This food spot offers pho, rice plates, and even a couple banh mi options. The popular choices here during this time seems to be the soup options for nursing a preemptive hangover.

The beef pho is a little murky for my taste. The broth has a very strong anise flavor, which gives it a lot of sweetness. Usually I like to have my beef slices rare and served on the side, but considering the environment I thought it best to have it already served in the soup. The beef slices are fatty and kinda gristly. At 3a its not a bad option, but during the normal daylight hours, there are better options.

The grilled pork banh mi came overflowing with julienned overly sweet pickled vegetables. I'm not sure I was into this presentation of vegetables since it takes away from the crunch. The bread is crisp and oddly blistered. The sandwich is a better taste option than the soup, but I wouldn't venture here again for either.